초록 ▼

A method of dispensing ingestible units such as capsules, tablets and pills in such manner as to avoid tampering or adulteration comprises packaging such units in sealable containers, sealing the containers, and loading the sealed containers into a magazine at the factory where the units are produce

A method of dispensing ingestible units such as capsules, tablets and pills in such manner as to avoid tampering or adulteration comprises packaging such units in sealable containers, sealing the containers, and loading the sealed containers into a magazine at the factory where the units are produced. The sealed magazine is transported to the place of sale where it is inserted, while still sealed, into the housing of dispensing apparatus having an opening for introducing the magazine, a closure for the opening and a lock for securing the closure. Moreover, the apparatus includes blades for breaking the seal of the magazine when inserted to release the containers and mechanism for sequentially dispensing the containers in such manner as to prevent their reinsertion into the apparatus.

대표청구항 ▼

Tamper resistant apparatus for dispensing packaged products comprising: an upright housing having, in an upper portion of said housing, magazine means for storing a plurality of packages to be dispensed, said housing having side walls and having at an upper end an entrance for introduction of said p

Tamper resistant apparatus for dispensing packaged products comprising: an upright housing having, in an upper portion of said housing, magazine means for storing a plurality of packages to be dispensed, said housing having side walls and having at an upper end an entrance for introduction of said packages and in a lower portion an exit for discharge of packages, means for closing said entrance and securing means for preventing an unauthorized opening of said entrance closing means, discharge means at said exit for sequentially discharging packages from said exit, said discharge means comprising upper and lower horizontally slidable doors disposed one above the other with a dwell space between said doors, said doors being slidable between open position and closed position, a package delivery station disposed below said lower door and a delivery passage leading from said dwell space to said delivery station, customer operable means for opening and closing said doors to release a package from said magazine means to said delivery passage, said operable means comprising means for coordinating the operation of said doors to close said lower door and open said upper door to permit discharge of a package from said magazine means to said dwell space and then close said upper door and open said lower door to discharge said package from said dwell space to said delivery passage for passage by gravity to said delivery station, and means extending into said delivery passage and below said lower door for preventing passage of a package from said delivery station to said magazine means, said means for coordinating the operation of said upper and lower doors comprising lever means extending between and interconnecting said upper door and said lower door, said lever means being pivoted on a shaft extending between side walls of said housing between said upper door and said lower door. Apparatus according to claim 7, in which said means for releasing said packages sequentially to said package delivery station comprises upper and lower slidable gates disposed one above another with a dwell space between said gates, said gates being slidable between open position and closed position, customer operable means for opening and closing said gates to release a package from said magazine to said delivery station, said operable means comprising means coordinating the operation of said gates to close said lower gate and open said upper gate to permit discharge of a package from said magazine to said dwell space and then to close said upper gate and open said lower gate to discharge said package from said dwell space to said delivery stations.